Mystery
by Zemmiphobia
Summary: After investigating a 'mystery cave' at the bottom of a reef, Luffy, Zoro and Robin accidentally find themselves in Middle Earth. Now Luffy has two options. He can help save their world in exchange for a way home... or he can find some lunch.
1. An Auspicious Beginning

**Mystery **

**disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Lord of the Ring's copyright.**

000ooo000

The sea was an open, crystal blue buffed by the high wind that skipped over the waves. The horizon stretched forever, broken only by the small ship moving briskly with its full sails.

"Oho!" Cried Luffy, holding onto his hat as he sat high up on the figurehead. Grinning from ear to ear, he waved at his navigator at the wheel and shouted to be heard over the wind. "How much longer to the next island, Nami!?"

Nami huffed and checked her log pose again.

"For the fourth time, Luffy, Two Days! Ask again and I'll make Sanji skip your lunch! Idiot!"

"Shishishi!"

Sanji stepped out of the kitchen, glaring.

"Oi oi! Are you annoying Nami-swan, idiot?"

"He's fine." Nami muttered, not really wanting them to fight. "He's just developed a worst memory than usual, is all." Sanji danced his way to her side and presented her with a melon smoothie and Nami took it, smiling. "It's going to be two days of hell if he keeps up all this energy." Sanji made a small hum of agreement and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it up.

"It's only been a day since we left those pirate hunters behind."

"And it's the first calm morning we've had since leaving Sabaody… do you think he's just getting bored?"

"Luffy? Probably but he always seems to find a way to entertain himself." Nami sighed and ran a hand through her hair and fixed Sanji with a look.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed." She said quietly as the both watched their captain. "He's… different. He's always liked fighting but now," She paused. "Now it's like he doesn't know what to do when he's not fighting."

"Rayleigh probably worked him hard. We all did. Which is why we all deserve this moment of rest." Sanji smiled and slid an arm around her shoulders.

"Nami!"

Startled, Nami swallowed her reply and turned to where her captain was standing tensely on the figurehead.

"What is it?"

"The ocean is glowing!" He cried, sounding delighted.

"Glowing?!"

Worried, she slipped down the stairs, Sanji hot on her heels, and peered over the railing for a better look. Sure enough, straight in front of the Sunny was a large patch of glowing water.

"What the hell?" She muttered, pulling out a telescope to get a better look. Luffy jumped down next to her and tried to peer through it with her. Batting him away with one hand, she focused in on the anomaly.

"Let me see, let me see!" Luffy whined.

"Quiet!" Nami muttered. "It's like there's something under the water making a light. A submarine, maybe?" Luffy jerked slightly and leaned over the railing as if he could look under the water.

"Oooh, do you think it's Law? Maybe he wants to fight."

"Oh joy." Nami huffed and clicked the telescope closed. "We shouldn't get closer until we know more about it. For all we know it's a sea king trying to lure in prey." Turning she pointed at Sanji. "Quick, drop the anchor and let Franky know what's going on. Luffy, go get the rest of the crew and bring them up to the deck. We'll need everyone's opinion." Luffy put a hand on his hat, eyes glinting as he followed her order.

"Lunch!"

000

"What about the Shark sub?" Franky asked, using his bionic eyes to zoom in on the light. "A couple of us could go below and see what's causing it. It'll be super!" Nami rolled her eyes.

"And if it's a sea king? What then?"

"Then we eat it!" Luffy shouted, drooling at the idea.

"Noo!" Cried Chopper looking frantic. "It'll eat _us_!"

Usopp nodded in agreement, looking a little ill at the idea. "One snap and we'd be goners!"

"A glowing sea king would be a rare find." Robin murmured, almost to herself. "I would like to see it, if I could."

"Food!" Luffy shouted in agreement, throwing his hands up." Zoro snorted, looking bored by the whole conversation.

"I go wherever Luffy goes."

"Fine." Nami said, giving in to Luffy's gleeful shouts. "Why don't you three take the sub. The rest of us will stay here and monitor the surface." She smiled evilly and joked. "That way if you die, we can make a quick getaway."

It didn't take long for the sub to pull away from the ship, its occupants watching out its windows for any sign of life. Their baby den den mushi sat on the dashboard, an open connection to the Sunny.

"See anything?" Nami's voice asked through the snail.

"Nothing yet, but there appears to be a reef here. It is good that we stopped or it is possible we might have run into it." Robin replied, looking at the almost transparent plant life surrounding them. As the girls discussed the reef in the background, Luffy pushed his face against the glass and tried to make out where the light was coming from. Like the surface, the light was contained in a single area and seemed to be part of the coral. However, none of the other coral was glowing. Suddenly, the coral fell away, revealing a large open space in the reef. The coral had formed a bowl shape and at the bottom was the source of the light, a glowing circle. As they watched, fish swam past the light and disappeared only the emerge again a few moments later.

"Oho!" Luffy cried, jumping with excitement. "I wanna go too!" Robin quickly explained the situation to Nami who instantly replied.

"No! Luffy you are not going to explore a glowing hole in the ocean."

"Aww, but I want to look inside the mystery cave!" Luffy whined.

"Ms. Navigator, I do believe its safe. The fish seem to be unharmed, at any rate." Robin said, smiling at her captain who was still jumping up and down.

"And what's going to happen if you get sucked into whirlpool or run out of air?" Nami groused.

"We will only be an hour. "Robin promised, looking at how much oxygen they had available.

"If we do not return in that amount of time, we should have enough air for you to come find us."

"How deep is this hole?" Nami asked, thinking it over.

"Only twenty feet below the surface, I would estimate."

"Alright, Luffy. But if you're not up in an hour I will rip your arms off."

Luffy let out a whoop and pushed the controls forward, sending the ship downwards. "Mystery cave, mystery cave!" He sang happily as the ship got closer to the light.

"We didn't bring any food," Robin warned him. "If we stay too long you won't have anything to eat."

Luffy stopped singing but didn't let up on their decent. "One hour." He agreed, nodding his head seriously. There was a split second before, "Mystery cave then lunch! Mystery cave then lu~nch!"

He was still singing when they passed through the hole and all hell broke loose.


	2. Finder's Keepers

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own any One Piece of Lord of the Ring's copyrights.

A/n: Any reader suggestions are welcome but please try to keep them realistic. No crazy Luffy elf harems please.

000ooo000

At first, the occupants of the shark sub thought they had entered a cave. As soon as they passed through the bright light of the circle, the water around them grew too dark to see much farther. Silently, Robin flipped on the headlights and they watched the fish swim in and out of view. Luffy pouted.

"Bor~ing!" He whined. Robin smiled, adjusting their decent.

"We appear to have found an underwater cave. Perhaps there is treasure at the bottom?" This perked Luffy up enough that he went back to pressing his face against the glass. Zoro snorted and propped his legs up on the dash, prepared to leave the controls to Robin.

"As if anyone'd be stupid enough to dump gold down here."

"Ah, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of the unusual light past the opening. It is possible that there might be others who came to investigate and perhaps never returned." She smiled serenely, inwardly thrilled at the chance to explore, and reached for their snail. "Nami." She called, waiting for the other women to pick up. The snail stayed silent. Concerned, she tapped the shell slightly. The snail gave her a very disgruntled look and curled up, ignoring her. "Oh dear." Robin turned to Luffy who was still watching the small silver fish.

"We appear to have lost connection with the Sunny." She said, setting the snail inside her pocket.

The sub was silent. Eventually, she grabbed the controls and brought them to a stop. "It might be wise to turn back." She said thoughtfully. "There may be a chance that the source of the light blocks signals. We would have no way of letting the others know of any difficulties… or of them warning us." The last part she added darkly. They were in an unknown ocean that had a reputation for danger, after all.

Before anyone could reply, a light appeared outside the sub, steadily growing brighter.

"Mystery light!" Luffy cried, distracted.

"Luffy, we still don't have a signal…" Robin started.

"Don't just grab the wheel, idiot!" Said Zoro, trying to wrestle Luffy away from the dashboard.

"I wasn't going to move us!" Luffy exclaimed, wrestling back.

"Fighting inside the sub may not be advisable-"

"Don't pinch, you little-"

"Owowowow, Zoro-"

The sub shuddered and they froze, belatedly realizing that the light was getting larger. Groaning, the ship began to spin in the water, the light flashing into view with every spin.

"Something is pulling the ship in." Robin gasped, fighting for control of the wheel.

"Whirlpool?" Zoro asked, bracing himself against the hull, which was still complaining under the pressure of the tide.

"More than likely." Robin gritted, straining all of her hands. Whatever Luffy was going to say was lost in the roar of the water as the light overwhelmed them.

00000

Brandywine River was not known for its rapids. Though deep, the river moved with the lazy pace of a hobbit after second dinner and was mostly full of small trout. It was, however, known for its shady trees and relaxing air. Which was why, on a particularly warm day, one Hobbit was sitting alone under a large willow tree, reading a book.

Frodo enjoyed reading by himself. Like his guardian, he found that life was much more interesting if you could spend a little of it between the pages of a good story.

Of course, his guardian also said that nothing spiced life up like a little adventure now and then, but Frodo knew that was as likely to happen to him, as Sam was likely to finally getting the courage to ask Rosie to dance with him. Fondly thinking on his friend, Frodo turned another page and listened to the gentle rush of the river… which seemed to be getting louder? Frowning, he set the book aside and looked around. The river seemed normal, the water still moving sluggishly towards the village farther downstream… but the roar of rushing water was definitely coming from somewhere ahead. Frodo leaned out on to the bank, trying to see the source of the noise. Perhaps a boat had taken a wrong turn and was heading to the Shire instead to Bree?

What he saw surprised him. If he had been a better hobbit, he might have fainted. Instead, Frodo watched in awe as a wall of water, carrying what looked like a toy fish the size of Bag End's living room, crested over the small river. Horrified, Frodo grabbed his book and raced up the willow, gaining ground just quick enough to miss the wave crash over the banks, depositing its load on the grass before swirling back into the river. Frodo, exhaled slowly, staring at the mess of torn grass, flopping fish, and the giant, ugly toy where he had been enjoying his afternoon read.

Nothing, not even Bilbo's stories, had even mentioned waves that appeared out of nowhere. Slowly, trying not to slip on the wet trunk, Frodo climbed down and squelched through the mud towards the toy. He tapped a hand against it and was surprised to find it made of metal. Silently trying to work out the symbols on the side of the fish, a door opened in the side, scaring him badly. Frodo jumped in alarm at the hiss of escaping air and then watched as a face appeared.

A man, for he was far too tall to be a hobbit and too skinny to be an elf, fell out of the opening and tumbled to the ground with a groan of pain. Frodo realized he was bleeding slightly on his temple. Trying to remember Bilbo's healer lessons, he placed a hand against the man's throat and was relieved to feel movement. The human wasn't dead just yet, then. A similar groan came from inside and Frodo saw that there was two others inside, a larger man with several scars and a woman wearing less clothing then he had ever seen on any female in his life. Blushing, He checked to make sure they were both breathing and raced back to the Shire. It was going to take a lot of hands to get them back to Bag End.

00000

"Well, she's certainly well endowed." Was the first thing Bilbo said as they set the woman down on the bed, her feet hanging off the end of the hobbit sized mattress. Her companions, both shorter than her, had been put in the master bedroom at the end of the hall. Bilbo's bed was much larger than the guest bed and was the only place they could put her. Frodo was secretly relieved that none of them hadn't been placed in his room, though he knew that now he and Bilbo would be sharing a room. Blushing at Bilbo comment, Frodo busied himself with setting out the herbs and bandages on the side table.

Bilbo noticed his discomforted and laughed kindly. "There now, my boy. No need to get flushed over a few glances. You'd be hard pressed to find such delights on a hobbit lass." Wishing he could sink into the floor, Frodo handed the damp tea towel to Bilbo and then set about washing away the dried blood on the woman's arm. It wasn't as if he hadn't noticed. She was wearing a very tight blue shirt, cut like a man's, with short straps over her shoulders. Her breasts, thanks to her larger size, were almost as large as Frodo's head. Hard pressed indeed, Frodo thought, keeping his eyes studiously away from the gentle slope of skin showing above her neckline.

"The men folk weren't wearing much either." Bilbo mused, washing her face gently. "One has no shirt and the other wears his open. Perhaps they come from the south and are accustom to much warmer climates?"

"Did you notice the salt smell?" Frodo asked quietly, watching his cousin. It was the most animated he had seen Bilbo in years. Not even the plans for his birthday party next week had gotten him this excited.

"Aye. Sea salt, if I'm not mistaken. Definitely southerners, then."

"Why would sailors from the sea be this far inland and on a freshwater river?" Bilbo considered this, working silently to clean and bandage the woman's wounds.

"I don't know." Bilbo admitted after a while. He set the woman's arm down and drew the covers over her. "However," he continued, "I have seen many a strange thing in my day. It's possible that whatever has brought these strangers to our door will show itself soon."

"Should we be worried?" Frodo asked, helping Bilbo carry out the supplies.

"Worry?" Bilbo asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "Whatever for? This is the most fun I've had in years."

000ooo000

End of Chapter

a/n: This story will probably be a lot of fits and starts as my time and interest goes up and down. I will try to keep this story alive, but a lot of it has to do with your interest in it as well. If you have ideas or constructive criticism, please let me know.


	3. Sweet Mornings

**Sweet Mornings**

000ooo000

Robin woke - as she often did- with a start. Keeping her eyes closed out of habit, she listened to the bird calls and tried to place them. It didn't take her long to decide that none of them were birds found near oceans. Slowly, she opened her eyes and mapped her surroundings. She was in a small bedroom, the bed child sized as was the furniture. Daylight poured in through a cheerful window, opened to a cool breeze. Robin sat up and noticed the ceiling was much lower then one would expect, even in a child's room. Small people then? Robin supposed that if giants existed it only made sense for there to be tiny people as well.

A quick personal inventory told her she still had all her limbs, was not tied down, and had been expertly bandaged. Friendly small people? Smiling at nothing in particular, Robin stood, stooping slightly to avoid the wooden beams across the ceiling, and ducked through the door.

"Ahh!" Came a cry somewhere around her knees. Startled, Robin looked down. A small boy - 'Man?' she thought, eyeing his white hair- was sitting on the ground, a tray balanced in his hands. "Oh dear," he said, peering up at her. "My apologies, I didn't mean to run you over. I didn't realize you were awake." He paused and tried to stand before Robin took the tray out of his hands to help him on to his feet. Smiling, the little man brushed himself off and motioned for her to follow him back the way he had come. "Dear me, I haven't even introduced myself, have I! Bilbo Baggins at your service." Robin smiled back, charmed.

"A pleasure, Mr. Baggins. I am Nico Robin." She waited and then let her shoulders relax slightly when he showed no recognition. "Do I have you to thank for my bandages?" She asked, setting the tray down on a little table inside a tiny kitchen, and taking an offered seat.

"My nephew as well, though he is not here at the moment. I sent him out shopping hours ago." Bilbo replied, setting a kettle to boil. "He's the one that found you and your friends out by the river. Said you came in a giant metal toy, if you can imagine."

Robin smiled vaguely. "My companions are here as well?" She asked, ignoring the question. Bilbo pretended not to notice.

"Yes indeed, though you're the first to rise. You all had some nasty bumps and bruises, but nothing a little herbs and hot water couldn't cure."

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins." She paused, stirring the cup of tea Bilbo handed her and studied the man in front of her. Bilbo said nothing, simply sipping his tea and waited for her to speak. "Your kindness is greatly appreciated. However, I was hoping you could tell me what island we are on?"

"Island?" Bilbo looked positively gleeful. "You're from an island? How extraordinary! There aren't any islands near here, I'm afraid. If you've come from the sea, you're a long ways off."

"No islands?" Robin asked in surprise, setting down her tea. Robin tried to search her memory for any information on a land big enough to be considered a mainland. She had never heard of such a thing. Robin opened her mouth to ask him if they were simply on a large island and then shut her mouth. It could be possible; they were in the new world after all. Not to mention, her host might be offended if she started correcting his geography. Deciding to let the matter rest for now, Robin smiled again and picked up her tea.

"What is the name of this land, if you please?"

"Well, this area is called the Shire, home of the hobbits. If you're talking about the entire continent, we call it Middle Earth."

"_Middle_ earth." Robin repeated thoughtfully. A name like that implied a large amount of land and at least two other similarly sized islands as well. Nami hadn't said anything about large islands and Mr. Baggins had said the ocean was a long ways away. Robin sighed and resisted the urge to rub her forehead. In conclusion; they were a long ways from the ship.

"What are 'hobbits'? She asked, wanting to change the subject.

Bilbo laughed and waved a hand at himself. "I'm not surprised you don't know, not many do and almost no men. We're called Halflings, for our size, and we live simple, peaceful lives in the hills."

"Are there many of you?"

"Hmm, not as many as the men or the elves, I suppose." Bilbo pursed his lips in thought and appeared to be counting. "I'd say perhaps a couple hundred of us? Maybe a thousand total. We all live in one place, you see, so there isn't a lot of room to grow. Most families only have a few children."

Only a thousand for an entire species? How on earth did they manage to prevent extinction? Robin shook her head in wonder and then paused. Elves?

"Hmm, you mentioned… elves, as well. How many species are there on this island?"

"Oh, let's see." Bilbo did some more calculating.

"Elves, men, hobbits, dwarves, uh… orcs…. hmmm." Bilbo shook his head. "I'm sure there are more than those, but I can't think of them at the moment… Ah, goblins! There are goblins too."

"Amazing." Robin said, thinking about all the possibilities for culture and language. Could this be tied to her research?

"Do you not have elves in the south?" Bilbo asked, curious. Robin pulled away from her thoughts and smiled at him.

"Unfortunately, no. We have merpeople, but they live deep underwater and do not interact with humans often." Or at least not without one group trying to kill the other. Bilbo opened his mouth; his eyes alight with a thirst for information, when a cry from the back of the house broke through the quiet of the morning.

"ROOOBBBIINNN!?" Came Luffy's voice at the top of his considerable lungs. Robin turned towards the hallway where Luffy was barreling out of the dim light to throw himself at her.

"Where are we" Her captain cried, eyes shining with excitement. "Where's the shark? And the fish? And our _mystery cave_?" He asked, looking around the room as if he thought it could be hiding behind the tiny furniture. His eyes fell on Bilbo and he grinned. "Hello! Wow, you're _tiny_! Are you a reverse giant?" Without waiting for Bilbo to reply, he leaned over and picked the smaller man up.

"Ho ho! You are really small!" Bilbo coughed and tried to pull away.

"G-good morning, I am glad to see you've suffered no damage from your shipwreck." He kicked his legs helplessly until Luffy finally set him down. Straightening his waistcoat, his face red, Bilbo busied himself setting up another seat for the boy. When he had food in front of his guest, more tea at the ready, and his face was back to normal, he returned to his seat and smiled at the newcomer.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name." He said, watching him quickly work his way through a plate of bacon.

"Ah, let me introduce you." Robin said when Luffy tried to swallow too fast and began choking. "This is my captain, Luffy. Luffy, this is Mr. Bilbo Baggins. He and his nephew rescued us after our submarine crashed nearby."

"Captain?" Bilbo asked in surprise. The boy, though he had the markings of someone reaching their maturity, did not look old enough to ride into battle let alone lead it.

"Captain of the Straw-hat pirates!" Luffy cried, pumping one fist into the air. "And I'm going to be king of the pirates, too!"

"Pirates?" Bilbo's voice sharpened. He didn't know much about pirates but he knew enough to be worried. Robin noticed his discomfort and smiled warmly.

"Please don't be alarmed, Mr. Baggins. I assure you we have desire to harm you or you possessions. We are in debt to you and pose no threat." Bilbo studied her open smile and Luffy's infectious grin and felt himself relax. They certainly didn't seem like killers. Pirates! He shook his head in amazement and wondered if perhaps he was getting too old for these sorts of things. After a pause, Bilbo wrinkled his noses in disgust. _I sound like a Sackville!_ Pushing away that disturbing thought, Bilbo slid another plate of food towards Luffy and smiled.

"So what brings you to the shire, Captain Luffy?"

00000

Frodo paused beside a vegetable stall and considered the mound of red fruit. Bilbo hadn't specified what he wanted; he had just ordered Frodo out to the market with a sack of coins and a large basket. Trying to remember what was left in the pantry, he didn't hear the sound of two pairs of feet sneaking up behind him.

"Frodo! Just the hobbit we've been looking for!" Merry threw an arm around Frodo's shoulders, pinning his prey to his side. Frodo jumped, startled, and tried unsuccessfully to back away from his friend.

"We've been hearing the strangest rumors." Pippin continued, pinning Frodo's other shoulder with a friendly hug.

"Rumor?" Frodo asked lightly, wishing he had thought to ask Bilbo what they were going to tell their nosey neighbors.

"Aye!" Merry grinned, sensing weakness. "Something about a human lass with knockers as big as Farmer Eldrwin's prize pumpkins." Frodo winced. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"There is a human at Bag End," Frodo said quietly, "Three, in fact. A woman and two men. They washed up on the riverbanks yesterday."

"And the pumpkins?" Pippin piped up, undeterred. Frodo rolled his eyes.

"Yes, they are as big as Farmer Eldrwin's pumpkins."

"We saw their boat, if you could call it that. It's very… strange." Merry said, finally letting Frodo go. Frodo backed up a few feet and cast a glance around. Thankfully most of the shire was used to Merry and Pippin and paid them no mind.

"It's almost Bilbo's birthday," Pippin said, "Do you think they're some friends from his old adventures come to visit?" He sounded terribly excited but Frodo wasn't surprised. Out of all the children he had listened to Bilbo's stories with, Merry and Pippin were two of only a handful of adult hobbits who still liked to hear them.

"No, I don't believe so. He seemed just as surprised to see them as I was, if better prepared to deal with their injuries. He didn't recognize their ship either." Pippin's face fell a little.

"I suppose if he had met a woman like that, he would have mentioned it before now." Merry rolled his eyes dramatically and threw his hands out.

"Three strange humans appear out of nowhere and are living in our good friend's house and what do we do? Stand here talking like fools! Frodo, you have to introduce us!" Frodo bit his lip and considered his friends. Bilbo hadn't said he had to keep it secret and had never minded the two tooks coming to visit before.

"Alright." He said, giving in to Pippin's pleading eyes. "But you have to mind your manner and be polite or Bilbo will throw you out on your arses." Merry and Pippin nodded energetically and took off for Bag End, pulling Frodo along between them.

"We should grab Sam!"

Frodo groaned.

000ooo000

End of Chapter


	4. Merry Maker

**Merry Maker**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Lord of the Ring copyrights.**

**A/n: Sorry about the long pause, this chapter took forever to write. I'm not entirely satisfied with it but I hope you enjoy it.**

000ooo000

When Gandalf pulled his cart up the lane towards Hobbiton, he was mildly surprised to see that Frodo was not waiting for him, as had been his habit the last twenty years. Though odd, Gandalf was not really surprised. Frodo was an adult now, surely it was not so shocking that he had outgrown waiting like a child for his friend to appear. As the wizard pulled past the empty hill and into the village he felt a small pang in his heart. As nice as it was to know Frodo was maturing, it was still sad to see the lad grow up. The ride through the town was uneventful. Many children still remembered him and called out to greet him, despite the suspicious glares of their parents, but none wandered close enough to speak to him. Therefore, it was a calm and entirely unsuspecting Gandalf that pulled his cart up next to Bag End and knocked on the door.

"Gandalf!" Said a familiar voice behind him. The wizard paused, his staff still raised, and looked over his shoulder at the four young hobbits smiling up at him.

"Ah, Frodo." Gandalf said, pleased to see his friend though not entirely pleased to see the calculating look Merry and Pippin were giving his cart of fireworks. "Been shopping for your uncle, I see?"

"Yes." Said Frodo, not very subtly kicking Merry in the leg. "We have a few extra guests and Bilbo thought it best to stock up."

"Guests?" Gandalf was truly surprised. Bilbo had been very closed off in the years since the Thorin and his nephews' deaths. In fact, until Frodo had arrived he had even ceased to leave his house, preferring to pay his neighbor's daughter to fetch food from the market for him. "Dwarves?" He finally asked. It wasn't impossible that one or two of the company might have made their way down to the shire for their friend's birthday.

"No, Men. They washed up in the river and Bilbo took them in." Gandalf would have replied to this if it had not been for a loud crash from somewhere inside the hobbit hole, accompanied by a loud cry. Startled, the five took a large step back as the green door was thrown open and someone came barreling out of it.

"Woo!" Shouted the stranger, a young man grinning from ear to ear, as he jumped over the frozen hobbits and raced down the lane.

"Luffy!" Growled a second man, larger and obviously older with some nasty looking scars. He paused at the sight of the five, slowed enough to go around them, and took off after the first.

"Oh dear." Said Bilbo, peering around the door with a tall woman. "Are they always like that?"

"Luffy is very excitable and as his first mate, Zoro follows him." The woman explained, looking very unconcerned with being left behind by her companions. "As soon as Luffy is satisfied that our ship is undamaged, he will returned. Good morning." She directed this last bit to the newcomers, smiling mysteriously. There was a long silence.

"Gad, they _are _as big as pumpkins."

00000

_Earlier that Morning..._

Zoro was not what anyone would call a patient man but he was an intelligent one. Sure, he had no sense of direction, liked to spend most of his time sleeping, and sometimes couldn't be bothered with stupid details like why Sanji was yelling at him, but he knew how think when he wanted to. When he woke up, sprawled over a child sized bed with his feet hanging off the edge, it only took him a second to confirm that the room was silent and enemy free. A scan of the room told him that the owner was male, young, and not trained in combat. A cocked ear told him that Luffy and Robin were somewhere in the house, not upset, and probably together. The tension that has crawled through his muscles slacked and Zoro fell back onto the bed, rubbing the scar across his eye consideringly. The last thing he had remember was being stuck in that damn boat. Groaning inwardly at the swirl of color and nausea that the memories invoked, he silently vowed to punch Franky in the mouth the next time he saw him. Grabbing his swords, which had been placed neatly on the side table, he stood and headed for the door.

The hallway was empty but he could hear the voices of his friends drifting down with the sunlight pouring out of an open window. The room the hallway opened into was stacked ceiling high with books, comfortable chairs, and an unlit fireplace. It looked easily defended in an attack, with plenty of improvised weapons laying about. Zoro made a note of all the windows and doors and then continued towards what he assumed was a kitchen from the smell wafting towards him. Sure enough, he found his captain and their researcher sitting at a table laden with food, speaking with a small man about waist high. The man looked to be reaching the end of middle age, had overly large feet, no sign of combat training, and was laughing his head off.

"No! She didn't" The man cried, not even trying to hide his mirth. Luffy grinned from ear to ear, holding his belly as he laughed with him.

"Yes! I thought she'd never let go." Robin smiled benignly at the two of them and then turned to Zoro who had stopped inside the doorway.

"Morning." He muttered. Instantly Luffy's head wiped around and narrowed in on his first mate.

"Zoro!" He cried, jumping up to latch on to the larger man like a limpet. Zoro patted his head and sat down at the table in the newly unoccupied chair, not bothering to try and remove him.

"Mr. Baggins, this is Zoro, our First Mate. Zoro, our host, Mr. Bilbo Baggins." Zoro watched Bilbo's eyes take in his numerous scars before settling politely on his face.

"Well met, Mr. Zoro. I'm very glad to see you've awakened without difficulty." Zoro nodded, ignoring Luffy babbling into his ear about 'hobbits' and eyed the food on the table. Bilbo noticed his interest and rushed to give him a plate. "Help yourself, plenty of food to go around. My nephew should be back soon with enough food for second breakfast."

Luffy's chatter cut off abruptly as his head whipped around. "Second breakfast?" He asked, sounding awed. "Sanji never lets us have _second breakfast_." Bilbo blinked and then smiled.

"As far as I've been able to tell, it is a hobbit habit. I promise I won't be offended if you decide to decline." Zoro tried to swallow past the sudden dryness in his throat. Luffy had taken on a very Nami like look, the one she usually had when she was about to pounce. Shuddering, he turned away from the sight. Robin smiled at him over her teacup but her eyes looked worried.

"I'm afraid we've run into a problem, Zoro." She said quietly, Luffy's happy cries of joy almost drowning her out. Zoro frowned and swallowed.

"Problem?" He grunted. He and Robin had never been particularly close but he had come to respect her vast knowledge and maturity. If Robin thought something was wrong it probably was.

"We appear to be stranded. Mr. Baggins has been kind enough to show me a map of the area and unfortunately we seem to have come out of that cave in the middle of a large island."

"How far?" He asked, instantly understanding the gravity of their situation. It was bad enough if they were a few days from the ocean, that wouldn't be a problem, but being stuck inland on an unknown island, no way of knowing how far from the Sunny they were or how to contact the ship...

"If we were to walk, it would take us at least a month to reach the nearest beach." She said solemnly. Zoro forced himself not to curse. 'Nearest beach' meant that she had no idea which side of the island they even needed to be on. He had had that problem himself many times.

"Could any of the locals point us towards the grandline?" He asked even knowing it was a unlikely. Robin shook her head.

"Mr. Baggins informed me he's never heard of the Grandline, the Marines, or any of the leading Pirate crews."

Well fuck.

000000

Robin smiled at the new faces and quickly memorized their faces. You never knew what could be important. The first four were obviously more hobbits, younger than Bilbo and brimming with curiosity. One of them looked less awed than the others and she quickly surmised that he was Frodo, Bilbo's nephew. There was even a slight resemblance around the eyes. Ignoring the comment from the youngest looking boy, she had heard enough similar remarks over the years, she turned and studied the man with the walking stick. He looked Old. Not old in the usual way of passing years, but in the way that spoke off lots of experience and not all of it pleasant. He was also studying her, his eyes sharp and focused. He reminded her of Professor Clover, a thought that made her smile genuine. Before she could add anything to her greeting, Bilbo jumped and threw his arms around him.

"Gandalf! Why its been ages since you've been to visit." Gandalf laughed and returned the embrace.

"Ah, old friend, how could I possibly miss your hundred and eleventh birthday." While Robin inwardly boggled at the idea that the spry hobbit was more than three times her age, Bilbo laughed and invited them inside.

It took longer than it probably should have to get them all comfortably seated, with Merry and Pippin's open gawking, Sam's awkward stammering, and Frodo's embarrassment, but eventually Bilbo was satisfied that everyone had been taken care of.

"Nico." Said Sam, after the introductions had been taken care of, "That's an unusual name." Robin smiled.

"No more unusual than Gamgee, I suppose." She said, laughing.

"Yes, but that's his last name." Added Pippin, leaning forward over the table. Robin paused and tilted her head.

"Last name?" She asked, confused.

"His family name." Frodo clarified.

"Do you put your family names last?" Robin asked, fascinated.

"I take it 'Nico' is not your given name?" Asked Gandalf, smiling into his wine. Robin laughed, delighted. What an unusual culture these hobbits had!

"My name is Robin. Nico was my mother's family name."

"How strange!" Said Merry, oblivious to the kick Frodo aimed his way under the table.

"I find your customs very unique." Said Robin, sliding into research mode. "I have traveled to hundreds of islands and I have never come across anything quite like this. Is this a hobbit custom or common to the whole area?" While Frodo and his friends rushed to answer all of Robin's questions, Gandalf turned to speak quietly to Bilbo.

"Islands?" He asked softly, his mind spinning with possibilities. He had never heard of any Men living past the sea.

"She said that her captain and crew mate were exploring a cavern out on the open sea when they somehow appeared in our river. It's very odd, their ship, it looks like a giant metal fish."

"A _metal_ fish?" Gandalf asked, shocked. If had had had any doubts, they had been laid to rest. There were no nations of men with the skill to create such a thing."

"Do you think they're trouble?" Asked Bilbo cautiously. He liked his new friends, but he trusted Gandalf's opinion. If he thought the strangers were dangerous then they probably were.

"No." Said Gandalf slowly, watching the woman thralling the young hobbits with a tale. "But I do not believe they are from Middle Earth."

"Don't tell me they are from the Undying Lands!" Said Bilbo. Gandalf shook his head.

"I do not know, my friend, but I hope to find out."

000ooo000

End of Chapter


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